


Sleep Deprivation

by Sharcade



Series: Whump Challenge [9]
Category: Camp Camp (Web Series)
Genre: Crying, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Family, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Child Neglect, NOT MAXVID, Nightmares, Platonic Relationships, Sick Character, Sickfic, Sleep Deprivation, Tired Max, Whump, whump challenge
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-09
Updated: 2018-11-09
Packaged: 2019-08-14 04:23:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,226
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16485854
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sharcade/pseuds/Sharcade
Summary: Max reflects on his past two sleepless nights.





	Sleep Deprivation

When the sun came up, Max wanted to die.

It couldn't be morning, there was no way it was  _already morning._ He had spent the entirety of last night trying to sleep, he had only gotten through yesterday on coffee, there was no way he had just missed a second night of sleep. Max groaned softly, slinging an arm over his eyes to block out the light as he desperately tried to will away the morning. He could hear Neil stirring - the older camper had slept  _easily_ through the night,  _both_ nights, and it made Max want to hit him.

"You awake?"

"Yup," Max muttered, rolling over to face the wall and pulling his blanket over his head.

"Didn't sleep?"

"Nope."

"Want me to tell David you ran away so he'll go look for you in town?"

"Absolutely."

Neil disappeared quickly through the flaps of the tent, leaving Max to lay silently, his eyes squeezed shut.  _He had to sleep._ Even if it was just for an hour or two, it had been forty-eight hours and Max was  _tired._ His head was pounding, a pain that David would only add to if he were to find Max and pester him about why he wasn't getting out of bed. Max sighed, pulling his blanket back down to his shoulders and opening his eyes open just a crack.

Sleep wasn't usually a problem for Max; he didn't consider himself an insomniac at least. Sleep only became an issue when he had nightmares. Nightmares were  _very_ frequent, and he could usually handle them. Max was used to dealing with nightmares on his own, but since coming to Camp Campbell, he had actually opened up a little about the problem. David knew, so did Neil, and Max was pretty sure Gwen knew by this point as well. Sometimes if nightmares got the better of him, he would crawl into bed with David, something the counsellor didn't mind even slightly and actually encouraged. If Max didn't want to leave the tent, he would wake up Neil.

Neil was like a guardian angel to Max. While Max would never admit it, Neil's overprotective tendencies made him feel beyond safe. Neil would stay up until the crack of dawn with him, just quietly talking about anything and everything until Max felt calm enough to get back to sleep. Neil wouldn't judge him, Neil would never try to tell him that everything was  _fine_ , that he was freaking out over nothing, Neil would never do that. Neil would assure Max that he was stronger than whatever he was afraid of, and sometimes Max would cry, but Max just attributed that to the fact that he was tired.

Tired, right, he was  _tired,_ he had almost forgotten. Max let his head roll to the side, his eyes tracing the tent doors as he lost himself in thought. He hadn't gone to Neil or David last night, nor the night before. Something in his gut had kept him pinned to his bed, even when he found that he couldn't shut his eyes. He wanted to be strong enough to not need them. He wanted to be strong enough to not have to go crawling into David's bed every night, he wanted to be strong enough that he didn't have to constantly wake up Neil. He wasn't a baby, he should be able to sleep through the night alone.

Max stared up at the ceiling exhaustedly, letting his thoughts swirl in his head. David would get tired of his constant neediness. David would get tired of Max crawling into his bed. Neil would eventually brush him off, Neil would tell him to go back to sleep, Neil would be too tired for him. He needed to grow up eventually, and he was already ten, he should  _already_ have been able to sleep alone. Max squeezed his eyes shut as he felt his chest tighten, his body locking up as he willed himself to  _not cry_ _, not now._

"Max?"

"David?" Max replied quickly, shooting upright as his eyes snapped open to meet the counsellor in the doorway.

"I thought you might be here," David admitted with a sympathetic smile, letting the flaps of the tent fall shut behind him as he entered. "Not feeling well?"

"I'm fine," Max spat, flopping back down into his bed and hunching his shoulders. "Don't you have anything better to do than bother me?"

"You looked tired yesterday," David proceeded, dodging the question as he sat on the edge of Max's bed. "Didn't sleep well?"

"David, seriously, fuck off," Max warned, glaring at the counsellor before burying his face in his pillow.

He didn't need David. He could get to sleep all on his own, he was  _fine._

"Why didn't you come get me?"

Max felt his chest tighten once again; David's gentle words were disgustingly soft and understanding and  _patient_ and Max wanted to fucking throatpunch him. He didn't come get David because  _he didn't need David._

"Max," David began cautiously. "We don't have to talk now, but I want to make sure you sleep tonight. You need rest."

"What I  _need,_ " Max spat, shuffling to perch his body upright, brushing his messy hair out of his face. "Is for you to leave me the hell alone."

Max watched as David's expression shifted, the counsellor evidently deep in thought. It was true that Max didn't typically put up this much of a fight, but it was also true that Max didn't typically feel like this. He always felt safe with David, why was he just now feeling as though he needed to be capable of doing things on his own? Why was he just now feeling weak for taking help?

"Well," David began, his tone changing in a way Max couldn't quite pin down. "Let me tell you, Max,  _I_ didn't sleep so well either the other night."

"Huh?" Max grunted, sitting upright and crossing his legs. "Why?"

"Well, I guess it's just easier to get to sleep when you're there," David shrugged, standing up. "But if you'd rather sleep alone, I understand. You're probably old enough that you don't need to sleep in your favourite camp counsellor's bed anymore, right Max?"

Max wasn't an idiot. He knew that David had slept fine, he knew that David was out like a light, he knew that David was tricking him. David was trying to manipulate him into going to him for help, David was trying to give Max an out, David was trying to give Max a way to crawl into his bed at night for comfort without feeling childish about it.

Max wiped his eyes.

"Well, I mean, if you're gonna be such a damn baby about it," Max muttered, rolling his eyes. "Then I  _guess_ I can sleep in your bed tonight. But don't get all fucking emotional about it. I'm just doing this so you don't die of exhaustion or whatever."

"That's fair," David chuckled, stretching his arms behind his head. "We might have time to catch a quick nap actually, I'm sure Gwen can handle things this morning."

"You're just gonna run off and take a nap without even telling Gwen?" Max questioned, hopping out of bed. "Ballsy, Camp Man."

"I'll explain later," David assured. "If...Gwen doesn't kill me first, that is."

"Whatever, you're tired, let's go."

"Right."

**Author's Note:**

> Come visit me on Tumblr!
> 
> sharcade-involved.tumblr.com


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